A Iborian Assassin and its Kreegor Prey
by Alan Beck
Summary: This is a short story/new O.C.C. I tried to submit to the rifter. Since I never heard from them I decided to post it hear.


Kranel sighed with relief as the Iborian healer arrived. Drand, his Kreeger master, had been bed ridden for two days. Drand's medical personnel could not find a reason for the fever that had plagued their Lord. Fortunately they had discovered an Iborian healer was passing through the space station Drand commanded. Knowing the Iborian healers were the paramount doctors in the Three Galaxies, Kranel was convinced the healer would be able to cure his master. It was quite fortunate one was randomly traveling though the station. Most Iborian's were enslaved by the Ogden Empire. Less than a fraction of a percent had escaped the invasion of their world. The pacifist people had not even fought back. Most that remained free traveled space as healers and hoped that eventually a peaceful resolution would free their people. Drand would soon find that not all Iborian's shared that view. The Iborian entered Drand's bed chambers and said "I will need utmost privacy to tend to the patient". Kranel replied "of course sir" and closed the door. He ordered no one to enter while the healer operated on Lord Drand. The Iborian approached Drand and said "Sir, my name is Regan. I am the healer that you summoned. I will have to sedate you in order to treat you properly. Do I have your consent"? Drand agreed and Regan administered a strong sedative that lulled Drand to sleep. Regan was lucky. His first attempt to poison Drand had only been partially successful. The Kreeger's unusually strong constitution was fighting off the nearly undetectable toxin Regan had planted in his food several days earlier. The fever it had produced had left Drand bedridden but Regan had been unsure whether the fever was enough for Drand's men to summon him. Fortunately, Regan's Iborian heritage had given him a second opportunity. Regan had contacted Drand's men and had told them the fever might indicate a worse disease. Deferring to his people's reputation as healers they quickly asked Regan to visit. Regan spent the next several hours operating on Drand. Asleep, Drand didn't even know he was about to die. Eventually Regan was ready to perform and he awakened Drand.

Strapped down by cables and made impotent by energy fields inhibiting his powers, Drand still struggled to resist. Ignoring Drand, Regan began to perform his real operation. Regan despised the task but it was necessary. Inside the Drand's mind held at least some of the secrets of phase technology. That technology might be the salvation for his people. Regan closed his eyes for a moment and envisioned the countless billions that were enslaved on his homeworld. The image strengthened his resolve. He began to activate the sensory machines that would extract the Drand's memories. The process was painstakingly long and excoriating painful for the victim. However, since it was a physical extraction it was not affected by any psychic shields that Drand might have in place. Regan's machines would extract all of Drand's memories and then filter through them for pertinent information using an algorithm Regan had programmed. Unfortunately for Drand an extraction of his entire mind would kill him. Regan swore to himself he would refine the process eventually but for the time being Drand was sacrificing himself for the liberation of Regan's people. Regan hated watching this part of the procedure. He monitored the process as the procedure disassembled Drand's mind. Slowly Drand's mind began to unfold before Regan. He slowly began to go though each cache of memory. Finally he found a node of memories related to the phase tech his people desperately needed. With it Regan and a few of his compatriots could cripple the Ogden's weapons long enough to transport most of his people off world to freedom. After scouring the rest of Drand's mind for anything else he could use, Regan began to destroy any evidence of what he had done.

By the time Regan completed, Drand was dead. Even the most intensive autopsy would show Drand had died due to a rare congenital defect in his heart. Regan made himself weep and appear visibly shaken as he opened the door... Regan informed Kranel he had done his best but Drand had already been past saving when Regan had arrived. Kranel did not even think to doubt the veracity of an Itorian healer. Regan quickly departed and headed for a spacecraft waiting for him. Regan departed the space station to meet with a small group of other Itorians that shared his way of thought. With the information he had extracted from Drand's mind they were one step closer to freeing their people.

The real story of the Iborian's liberation is much more complex than most residents of the Three Galaxies, including most Iborians, believe. The common history is that the Iborians were a peaceful people that rebelled against a race of alien oppressors after centauries of oppression. This is true. However, how the rebellion came about is a history few know. It began when an escaped Iborian, named Caspian, sick of the aliens oppression began to research methods of rebellion. After determining his people were currently unable to defeat the aliens on their own, he began to look for allies. This road brought him to studying dark summoning rites. He eventually came into contact with a powerful entity. The entity offered him the power to defeat the aliens in exchange for Caspian's eternal allegiance. Caspian quickly agreed. He made a major pact with the entity and was transformed into a witch. For several years, the entity trained Caspian in a variety of marital and killing arts. Caspian learned to harness his Iborian psychic abilities to augment his martial prowess and to refine the Iborian Death Touch. The entity taught Caspian he was among a rare few amongst the Iborians that held within them a violent nature. The entity commanded him to seek out similar Iborians. Caspian traveled among his people seeking out like minded Iborians disguising himself as a slave. He traveled from slave camp to slave camp freeing those select few that had the jingoistic spirit he was seeking. Those he took to a train camp deep in the montains. Eventually, he had several thousand followers. For the next several years Caspian, under the entity's guidance, trained his followers. Thus the Iborian Assassins were formed. When Caspian felt his followers were ready, he ordered them to go out into the world in secret. The Iborian Assassins began to sow the seeds of violent revolution into the peaceful Iborian population. They put themselves back into the slave camps they had come from. The alien had grown so complacent they generally lashed the Iborian and simply assumed he had been unable to survive as a runaway. Caspian's follower's began to subtly advocate a revolt. The general Iborian population began to accept the possibility of using violence to liberate themselves. Finally enough of the population was turned to this way of thought and the Caspian ordered the revolt to begin. At the same all across the world the Iborian revolution began. The Iborians quickly over came their alien overlords using their infamous death touch. The aliens fled. For most Iborians, this was enough. They were free but sickened by the blood they had shed. Caspian had other ideas. He led his assassins hunting down all of these aliens. With the entity's help, they tracked down every member of this race. This is where the history ends. Shortly after the genocide Caspian disappeared. Most assassins believe he left to serve the entity. When the Iborians journeyed into the stars, the assassins followed. With Caspian gone the followers splintered. Most returned to their families and returned to reverted into peaceful beings. Some of the Ibarrians embraced what they had become and continued to cultivate their marital prowess. Caspian had given them a new way of thought that resonated with them. The Iborian was a hunter in his natural state not a pacifist to be enslaved. These Iborians became assassins for hire. Eventually, the original assassins passed down their abilities to their children or the rare Iborian they found willing to follow the path of an assassin.

The Iborian Assassins survive to this day. They no longer have a leadership structure so they generally operate and exist as individuals or in small groups of fellow assassins. However, some are known to ally themselves with other beings. Being Master Psionics, they have been able to develop their martial powers to a level rivaling the Oni Ninjas. They still perpetuate themselves through family lines and by seeking out those Iborians that possess the same propensity Caspian sought out long ago. Many Iborians Assassins theorize that their propensity to kill is a genetic throwback to whatever stage in Iborian evolution where the death touch developed. They believe, probaly accurately, that the Iborian death touch evolved as a defense mechanism. In their minds, in he state of nature the Iborian is a killer. Their healing abilities are simply a further adaptation by Iborians so they could heal their injured warriors. To them, regular Iborians have rejected their intrinsic nature. In any event, the Iborians legendary reputation as pacifistic healers works to their advantage. Walking through the three Galaxies under the guise of Iborian healers, they have found the perfect cover. There are few that even suspect their existence. The few that exist openly are simply considered deviants or mentally deranged by most. There are few that even suspect this race of healers harbor some of the deadliest assassins in the Three Galaxies. When meeting a client they remain disguised so even long time customers often don't know their identity's. Many Assassins believe Caspian is still alive fulfilling his pledge of service to the entity. Since Caspian was a witch most find it plausible that he could still be alive. What he has been doing and his plans are the source of great speculation. Whatever the case, all throughout the Three Galaxies aliens of all kinds are still being slain by the Iborian death touch.

O.C.C. Abilities and Restrictions

1. Mega Damage Transformation: By harnessing his inner strength the assassin can temporarily turn himself into a M.D.C. being. His S.D.C. and hit points are converted into M.D.C. Both his P.S. and P.E. become supernatural.

Duration: Five minutes per level of experience.

I.S.P. Cost: Each transformation costs 35 I.S.P. points

2. Refined Death Touch: The assassins have embraced the Death Touch as part of their natural heritage and scoff at Iborian culture which views it as the "cursed touch". They have refined its use so it is stronger and takes less of a toll on the Iborian. Comparing their Death Touch to a regular Iborian is akin to comparing a regular person's punch to a professional boxer who has spent years training to throw a punch. Unless noted below the Death Touch remains the same.

Iborian Assassin Death Touch

Damage: At first level the Death Touch does 8D6 M.D. damage instead of the normal 6D6 M.D. damage. The Death Touch becomes progressively stronger as the assassin advances in level. At levels 5, 10, 15 an additional 2D6 M.D. is added to the damage inflicted by the Death Touch

Coma: A victim of an Iborian Assassin's Death Touch is more likely to fall into a coma. At first level the assassin's victim must make a successful saving throw of 16 or higher or they are placed into a coma. At levels 5, 10, 15 +1 is added to successfully make a saving throw. If the victim falls into a coma the victim does not get the normal +10  
>% to save vs. coma. At levels 5, 10, 15 an additional -10% to save vs. coma is subtracted from the victims save. As with the normal Iborian death touch, those who fail to save simply die.<p>

Toll on assassin: The assassin takes less of a toll on the assassin. With each use of this ability the assassin's Speed attribute goes down by 25%, and he is -1 to strike, parry and dodge, and -1 on all saving throws for 2D4 melee rounds. As with any Iborian, the effects are cumulative if he uses this ability multiple times.

3. Mystical Martial Arts Power: After years of training in the marital arts an assassin eventually develops certain mystical marital arts powers. At level 1 he can select any three mystical martial of the mystical martial arts described under the Oni Ninja description or in Rifts Japan. He selects an additional power at level 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. The assassin spends an equivalent amount of I.S.P. to fuel a power as the P.P.E. requirement stated.

4. Brew Iborian Blood Poison: All Iborians have an instinctively know how to use their bodies healing capabilities which includes their bloods ability to cure any carbon-based life form of disease. The assassins have extrapolated on this knowledge to learn how to create deadly toxins with their own blood. They must first draw their own blood (or that of any other Iborian) and brew it through a chemical process that takes roughly a day. Afterwards the poison can be dried into a powdered form or left liquid. Unless chemically analyzed it is indistinguishable from normal Iborian blood. The poison works on any carbon based life form. It must be administered intravenously, orally, breathed in (the assassins occasionally make bombs that release the poison into the air) to have full effect. Skin contact alone only has half the affect. If affected, a target must save vs. poison (17 or higher). On a successful save the poison still causes4D6 damage either directly to Hit Points or M.D.C. On a failed save the poison does 4D6 damage, as above and incapacitates the person. The victim is reduced to one melee attack per round, all combat actions are at -4, and cannot heal or bioregenerate. These affects last for 1D4 days. Every hour after being affected the victim must roll vs. lethal poison or temporarily lose one point of P.E. If the P.E. score is reduced to zero the victim dies. The poison is nearly undetectable and the affected victim appears to be simply suffering from an illness. Even if detected the poison is extremely difficult to treat. However, a one pint transfusion of Iborian blood will cure the person immediately. Moreover, Iborians are immune to the poison.

5. Dim Mak: The martial training the Iborian's receive teaches them the Dim Mak. Like any uses of the Dim Mak the Iborian simple needs to touch the victim and over the course of the next weeks to months the victim will slowly get weaker until they die Unlike most users of the Dim Mak Iborian assassin their Dim Mark is just as effective against M.D. creatures with the same effectiveness as S.D..C. being.

6. Other O.C.C. Bonuses: +2 to save vs. possession, +2 to save vs. magic, +3 to save vs. psionic, +2 to save vs. Horror +2 additional attack per melee, +3 to M.E., +1 to P.S., +1 to P.E., +2 to P.P., +30 S.D.C.

The Iborian Assassin O.C.C.  
>Alignments: Anarchist and evil alignments only (90% are Aberrant)<br>Racial Restriction: Iborian only  
>Attribute Requirements; None; just a willingness to go against every ethos in Iborian society.<p>

O.C.C. Skills  
>Languages: Six of choice (+15%)<br>Biology (+25%)  
>Paramedic (+25%)<br>Acrobatics (+10%)  
>Gymnastics (+10%)<br>Disguise (+20%)  
>Prowl (+20%)<br>Make Poisons (+20%)  
>Climbing (+15%)<br>Escape Artist (+10%)  
>Imitate Voices and Impersonation (+20%)<br>Boxing  
>Wrestling<br>W.P. Four of choice  
>Hand to Hand: Assassin (or martial art of choice)<p>

O.C.C. Related Skills: Select 8 other skills but at least two must be from Medical and two from Espionage. Plus select two skills at level three, six, nine and twelve.

Communications: Any: (+5)  
>Domestic: Any<br>Electrical: Any  
>Espionage: Any (+15%)<br>Mechanical: Any  
>Medical: Any (+20%)<br>Military: Any (+5%)  
>Physical: Any<br>Pilot: Any  
>Pilot Related: Any<br>Rogue: Any (+10%)  
>Science: Any<br>Technical: Any  
>Weapons Proficiencies: Any<br>Wilderness Survival: Any

Secondary Skills: The character also gets to select three secondary skills at level 1, and one additional skill at levels four, eight and twelve. These are additional areas of knowledge that do not get the advantage of the bonus listed in the parentheses. All secondary skills start at base skill level. Also, skills are limited (any, only, none) as previously indicated in the list.

Standard Equipment: A tranquilizer gun disguised as medical tranquilizer. Twelve doses Iborian Assassin poison administrable with the gun. They also start with three concealable energy weapons, two concealable vibroblades and a force field with 200 M.D.C. Plus 2D4x1000 credits worth of additional equipment and gear.

Bionics and Cybernetics: They will only get them to replace a lost limb or organ typically.

Money: 1D4x1000 credits in cash.


End file.
